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TITAN/CHASMS 


Titan  of  Chasms 

The  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona 


THE  TITAN   OF  CHASMS 

BY  C.  A.  HIGGINS 

THE   SCIENTIFIC   EXPLORER 

BY  J.  W.  POWELL 

THE  GREATEST  THING  IN  THE  WORLD 

BY  CHAS.  F.  LUMMIS 

INFORMATION   FOR  TOURISTS 


FIFTEENTH  THOUSAND 

PASSENGER    DEPARTMENT 

THE    SANTA    FE 

CHICAGO,  1902 


IJ-AlfC  ROP'i    III;  I;AI;Y 


THE   TITAN  OF  CHASMS 

'BY  C.  A.  HIGGINS 

Its  History 

The  Colorado  is  one  of  the  great  rivers  of  North  America.  Formed  in 
Southern  Utah  by  the  confluence  of  the  Green  and  Grand,  it  intersects  the 
northwestern  corner  of  Arizona,  and,  becoming1  the  eastern  boundary  of 
Nevada  and  California,  flows  southward  until  it  reaches  tidewater  in  the  Gulf 
of  California,  Mexico.  It  drains  a  territory  of  300,000  square  miles,  and, 
traced  back  to  the  rise  of  its  principal  source,  is  2,000  miles  long.  At  two 
points,  Needles  and  Yuma  on  the  California  boundary,  it  is  crossed  by  a  rail- 
road. Elsewhere  its  course  lies  far  from  Caucasian  settlements  and  far  from 
the  routes  of  common  travel,  in  the  heart  of  a  vast  region  fenced  on  the  one 
hand  by  arid  plains  or  deep  forests  and  on  the  other  by  formidable  mountains. 

The  early  Spanish  explorers  first  reported  it  to  the  civilized  world  in  1540, 
two  separate  expeditions  becoming  acquainted  with  the  river  for  a  compara- 
tively short  distance  above  its  mouth,  and  another,  journeying  from  the  Moki 
Pueblos  northwestward  across  the  desert,  obtaining  the  first  view  of  the  Big 
Canyon,  failing  in  every  effort  to  descend  the  canyon  wall,  and  spying  the 
river  only  from  afar. 

Again,  in  1776,  a  Spanish  priest  traveling  southward  through  Utah  struck 
off  from  the  Virgin  River  to  the  southeast  and  found  a  practicable  crossing  at 
a  point  that  still  bears  the  name  "  Vado  de  los  Padres." 

For  more  than  eighty  years  thereafter  the  Big  Canyon  remained  unvisited 
except  by  the  Indian,  the  Mormon  herdsman,  and  the  trapper,  although  the 
Sitgreaves  expedition  of  1851,  journeying  westward,  struck  the  river  about 
150  miles  above  Yuma,  and  Lieutenant  Whipple  in  1854  made  a  survey  for  a 
practicable  railroad  route  along  the  thirty-fifth  parallel,  where  the  Santa  Fe 
Pacific  has  since  been  constructed. 

The  establishment  of  military  posts  in  New  Mexico  and  Utah  having  made 
desirable  the  use  of  a  waterway  for  the  cheap  transportation  of  supplies,  in 
1857  the  War  Department  dispatched  an  expedition  in  charge  of  Lieutenant 
Ives  to  explore  the  Colorado  as  far  from  its  mouth  as  navigation  should  be 
found  practicable.  Ives  ascended  the  river  in  a  specially  constructed  steam- 
boat to  the  head  of  Black  Canyon,  a  few  miles  below  the  confluence  of  the 


.A83 


Virgin  River  in  Nevada,  where  further  navigation  became  impossible;  then, 
returning  to  .the  Needles,  he  set  off  across  the  country  toward  the  northeast. 
He  reached  the  Big  Canyon  at  Diamond  Creek  and  at  Cataract  Creek  in  the 
spring  of  1858,  and  from  the  latter  point  made  a  wide  southward  detour  around 
the  San  Francisco  Peaks,  thence  northeastward  to  the  Moki  Pueblos,  thence 
eastward  to  Fort  Defiance,  and  so  back  to  civilization. 

That  is  the  history  of  the  explorations  of  the  Colorado  up  to  forty  years 
ago.  Its  exact  course  was  unknown  for  many  hundred  miles,  even  its  origin 
being  a  matter  of  conjecture.  It  was  difficult  to  approach  within  a  distance  of 
two  or  three  miles  from  the  channel,  while  descent  to  the  river's  edge  could  be 
hazarded  only  at  wide  intervals,  inasmuch  as  it  lay  in  an  appalling  fissure  at 
the  foot  of  seemingly  impassable  cliff  terraces  that  led  down  from  the  border- 
ing plateau;  and  to  attempt  its  navigation  was  to  court  death.  It  was  known 
in  a  general  way  that  the  entire  channel  between  Nevada  and  Utah  was  of 
the  same  titanic  character,  reaching  its  culmination  nearly  midway  in  its 
course  through  Arizona. 

In  1869  Maj.  J.  W.  Powell  undertook  the  exploration  of  the  river  with  nine 
men  and  four  boats,  starting  from  Green  River  City,  on  the  Green  River,  in 
Utah.  The  project  met  with  the  most  urgent  remonstrance  from  those  who 


The  Colorado,  Foot  of  Bright  Angel  Trail. 
4 


were  best  acquainted  with  the  region,  including-  the  Indians,  who  maintained 
that  boats  could  not  possibly  live  in  any  one  of  a  score  of  rapids  and  falls 
known  to  them,  to  say  nothing  of  the  vast  unknown  stretches  in  which  at  any 
moment  a  Niagara  might  be  disclosed.  It  was  also  currently  believed  that  for 
hundreds  of  miles  the  river  disappeared  wholly  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
Powell  launched  his  flotilla  on  May  24th,  and  on  August  3oth  landed  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Virgin  River,  more  than  one  thousand  miles  by  the  river  channel 
from  the  place  of  starting,  minus  two  boats  and  four  men.  One  of  the  men  had 
left  the  expedition  by  way  of  an  Indian  reservation  agency  before  reaching 
Arizona,  and  three,  after  holding  out  against  unprecedented  terrors  for  many 
weeks,  had  finally  become  daunted,  choosing  to  encounter  the  perils  of  an 
unknown  desert  rather  than  to  brave  any  longer  the  frightful  menaces  of  that 
Stygian  torrent.  These  three,  unfortunately  making  their  appearance  on  the 
plateau  at  a  time  when  a  recent  depredation  was  colorably  chargeable  upon 
them,  were  killed  by  Indians,  their  story  of  having  come  thus  far  down  the 
river  in  boats  being  wholly  discredited  by  their  captors. 

Powell's  journal  of  the  trip  is  a  fascinating  tale,  written  in  a  compact  and 
modest  style,  which,  in  spite  of  its  reticence,  tells  an  epic  story  of  purest 
heroism.  It  definitely  established  the  scene  of  his  exploration  as  the  most 
wonderful  geological  and  spectacular  phenomenon  known  to  mankind,  and 
justified  the  name  which  had  been  bestowed  upon  it  —  THE  GRAND  CANYON  — 
sublimest  of  gorges;  Titan  of  chasms.  Many  scientists  have  since  visited  it, 
and,  in  the  aggregate,  a  large  number  of  unprofessional  lovers  of  nature;  but 
until  a  few  years  ago  no  adequate  facilities  were  provided  for  the  general 
sight-seer,  and  the  world's  most  stupendous  panorama  was  known  principally 
through  report,  by  reason  of  the  discomforts  and  difficulties  of  the  trip,  which 
deterred  all  except  the  most  indefatigable  enthusiasts.  Even  its  geographical 
location  is  the  subject  of  widespread  misapprehension. 

Its  title  has  been  pirated  for  application  to  relatively  insignificant  canyons 
in  distant  parts  of  the  country,  and  thousands  of  tourists  have  been  led  to 
believe  that  they  saw  the  Grand  Canyon,  when,  in  fact,  they  looked  upon  a 
totally  different  scene,  between  which  and  the  real  Grand  Canyon  there  is  no 
more  comparison  "  than  there  is  between  the  Alleghanies  or  Trosachs  and  the 
Himalayas." 

There  is  but  one  Grand  Canyon.  Nowhere  in  the  world  has  its  like  been 
found. 

Jls  Seen  From   the  Rim 

Stolid,  indeed,  is  he  who  can  front  the  awful  scene  and  view  its  unearthly 
splendor  of  color  and  form  without  quaking  knee  or  tremulous  breath.  An 
inferno,  swathed  in  soft  celestial  fires;  a  whole  chaotic  under- wrorld,  just 
emptied  of  primeval  floods  and  waiting  for  a  new  creative  word;  eluding  all 
sense  of  perspective  or  dimension,  outstretching  the  faculty  of  measurement, 
overlapping  the  confines  of  definite  apprehension:  a  boding,  terrible  thing, 
unflinchingly  real,  yet  spectral  as  a  dream.  The  beholder  is  at  first  unimpressed 
by  any  detail;  he  is  overwhelmed  by  the  ensemble  of  a  stupendous  panorama, 
a  thousand  square  miles  in  extent,  that  lies  wholly  beneath  the  eye,  as  if  he 
stood  upon  a  mountain  peak  instead  of  the  level  brink  of  a  fearful  chasm  in  the 
plateau,  whose  opposite  shore  is  thirteen  miles  away.  A  labyrinth  of  huge 
architectural  forms,  endlessly  varied  in  design,  fretted  with  ornamental  devices, 
festooned  with  lace-like  webs  formed  of  talus  from  the  upper  cliffs  and  painted 
with  every  color  known  to  the  palette  in  pure  transparent  tones  of  marvelous 
delicacy.  Never  was  picture  more  harmonious,  never  flower  more  exquisitely 


The  River  and  the  Canyon  Wall. 


Copyright,  .fe'99,  bij  H.  G.  Peabody. 


beautiful.  It  flashes  instant  communication  of  all  that  architecture  and  paint- 
ing and  music  for  a  thousand  years  have  gropingly  striven  to  express.  It  is  the 
soul  of  Michael  Angelo  and  of  Beethoven. 

A  canyon,  truly,  but  not  after  the  accepted  type.  An  intricate  system  of 
canyons,  rather,  each  subordinate  to  the  river  channel  in  the  midst,  which  in 
its  turn  is  subordinate  to  the  whole  effect.  That  river  channel,  the  profoundest 
depth,  and  actually  more  than  6,000  feet  below  the  point  of  view,  is  in  seeming 
a  rather  insignificant  trench,  attracting  the  eye  more  by  reason  of  its  somber 
tone  and  mysterious  suggestion  than  by  any  appreciable  characteristic  of  a 
chasm.  It  is  perhaps  five  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line,  and  its  uppermost 
rims  are  nearly  4,000  feet  beneath  the  observer,  whose  measuring  capacity  is 
entirely  inadequate  to  the  demand  made  by  such  magnitudes.  One  can  not 
believe  the  distance  to  be  more  than  a  mile  as  the  crow  flies,  before  descending 
the  wall  or  attempting  some  other  form  of  actual  measurement. 

Mere  brain  knowledge  counts  for  little  against  the  illusion  under  which 
the  organ  of  vision  is  here  doomed  to  labor.  Yonder  cliff,  darkening  from 
white  to  gray,  yellow,  and  brown  as  your  glance  descends,  is  taller  than  the 
Washington  Monument.  The  Auditorium  in  Chicago  would  not  cover  one-half 
its  perpendicular  span.  Yet  it  does  not  greatly  impress  you.  You  idly  toss  a 
pebble  toward  it,  and  are  surprised  to  note  how  far  the  missile  falls  short. 
By  and  by  you  will  learn  that  it  is  a  good  half  mile  distant,  and  when  you  go 


down  the  trail  you  will  gain  an  abiding  sense  of  its  real  proportions.  Yet, 
relatively,  it  is  an  unimportant  detail  of  the  scene.  Were  Vulcan  to  cast  it 
bodily  into  the  chasm  directly  beneath  your  feet,  it  would  pass  for  a  bowlder, 
if,  indeed,  it  were  discoverable  to  the  unaided  eye. 

Yet  the  immediate  chasm  itself  is  only  the  first  step  of  a  long  terrace  that 
leads  down  to  the  innermost  gorge  and  the  river.  Roll  a  heavy  stone  to  the 
rim  and  let  it  go.  It  falls  sheer  the  height  of  a  church  or  an  Eiffel  Tower, 
according  to  the  point  selected  for  such  pastime,  and  explodes  like  a  bomb  on 
a  projecting  ledge.  If,  happily,  any  considerable  fragments  remain,  they  bound 
onward  like  elastic  balls,  leaping  in  wild  parabola  from  point  to  point,  snapping 
trees  like  straws;  bursting,  crashing,  thundering  down  the  declivities  until  they 
make  a  last  plunge  over  the  brink  of  a  void;  and  then  there  comes  languidly 
up  the  cliff  sides  a  faint,  distant  roar,  and  your  bowlder  that  had  withstood  the 
buffets  of  centuries  lies  scattered  as  wide  as  Wycliffe's  ashes,  although  the 
final  fragment  has  lodged  only  a  little  way,  so  to  speak,  below  the  rim.  Such 
performances  are  frequently  given  in  these  amphitheaters  without  human  aid, 
by  the  mere  undermining  of  the  rain,  or  perhaps  it  is  here  that  Sisyphus 
rehearses  his  unending  task.  Often  in  the  silence  of  night  some  tremendous 
fragment  has  been  heard  crashing  from  terrace  to  terrace  \vith  shocks  like 
thunder  peal. 

The  spectacle  is  so  symmetrical,  and  so  completely  excludes  the  outside 
world  and  its  accustomed  standards,  it  is  with  difficulty  one  can  acquire  any 
notion  of  its  immensity.  Were  it  half  as  deep,  half  as  broad,  it  wrould  be  no 
less  bewildering,  so  utterly  does  it  baffle  human  grasp. 

The   Trip   to   the  *RjVer 

Only  by  descending  into  the  canyon  may  one  arrive  at  anything  like 
comprehension  of  its  proportions,  and  the  descent  can  not  be  too  urgently 
commended  to  every  visitor  who  is  sufficiently  robust  to  bear  a  reasonable 
amount  of  fatigue.  There  are  four  paths  down  the  southern  wall  of  the  canyon 
in  the  granite  gorge  district —  Mystic  Spring,  Bright  Angel,  Berry's  and  Hance's 
trails.  The  following  account  of  a  descent  of  the  old  Hance  trail  will  serve  to 
indicate  the  nature  of  such  an  experience  to-day,  except  that  the  trip  may  now 
be  safely  made  with  greater  comfort. 

For  the  first  two  miles  it  is  a  sort  of  Jacob's  ladder,  zigzagging  at  an  unre- 
lenting pitch.  At  the  end  of  two  miles  a  comparatively  gentle  slope  is  reached, 
known  as  the  blue  limestone  level,  some  2,500  feet  below  the  rim,  that  is  to  say 
—  for  such  figures  have  to  be  impressed  objectively  upon  the  mind  —  five  times 
the  height  of  St.  Peter's,  the  Pyramid  of  Cheops,  or  the  Strasburg  Cathedral; 
eight  times  the  height  of  the  Bartholdi  Statue  of  Liberty;  eleven  times  the 
height  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument.  Looking  back  from  this  level  the  huge 
picturesque  towers  that  border  the  rim  shrink  to  pigmies  and  seem  to  crown 
a  perpendicular  wall,  unattainably  far  in  the  sky.  Yet  less  than  one-half  the 
descent  has  been  made. 

Overshadowed  by  sandstone  of  chocolate  hue  the  way  grows  gloomy  and 
foreboding,  and  the  gorge  narrows.  The  traveler  stops  a  moment  beneath  a 
slanting  cliff  500  feet  high,  where  there  is  an  Indian  grave  and  pottery  scattered 
about.  A  gigantic  niche  has  been  worn  in  the  face  of  this  cavernous  cliff, 
which,  in  recognition  of  its  fancied  Egyptian  character,  was  named  the  Temple 
of  Sett  by  the  painter,  Thomas  Moran. 

A  little  beyond  this  temple  it  becomes  necessary  to  abandon  the  animals. 
The  river  is  still  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  The  way  narrows  now  to  a  mere 
notch,  where  two  wagons  could  barely  pass,  and  the  granite  begins  to  tower 


gloomily  overhead,  for  we  have  dropped  below  the  sandstone  and  have  entered 
the  archaean — a  frowning  black  rock,  streaked,  veined,  and  swirled  with  vivid 
red  and  white,  smoothed  and  polished  by  the  rivulet  and  beautiful  as  a  mosaic. 
Obstacles  are  encountered  in  the  form  of  steep,  interposing  crags,  past  which 
the  brook  has  found  a  way,  but  over  which  the  pedestrian  must  clamber. 
After  these  lesser  difficulties  come  sheer  descents,  which  at  present  are  passed 
by  the  aid  of  ropes. 

The  last  considerable  drop  is  a  4o-foot  bit  by  the  side  of  a  pretty  cascade, 
where  there  are  just  enough  irregularities  in  the  wall  to  give  toe-hold.  The 
narrowed  cleft  becomes  exceedingly  wayward  in  its  course,  turning  abruptly 
to  right  and  left,  and  working  down  into  twilight  depth.  It  is  very  still.  At 
every  turn  one  looks  .to  see  the  embouchure  upon  the  river,  anticipating  the 
sudden  shock  of  the  unintercepted  roar  of  waters.  When  at  last  this  is  reached, 
over  a  final  downward  clamber,  the  traveler  stands  upon  a  sandy  rift  confronted 
by  nearly  vertical  walls  many  hundred  feet  high,  at  whose  base  a  black  torrent 
pitches  in  a  giddying  onward  slide  that  gives  him  momentarily  the  sensation  of 
slipping  into  an  abyss. 


A  Party  on  Bright  Angel  Trail. 


With  so  little  labor  may  one  come  to  the  Colorado  River  in  the  heart  of  its 
most  tremendous  channel,  and  gaze  upon  a  sight  that  heretofore  has  had  fewer 
witnesses  than  have  the  wilds  of  Africa.  Dwarfed  by  such  prodigious  mountain 
shores,  which  rise  immediately  from  the  water  at  an  angle  that  would  deny 
footing  to  a  mountain  sheep,  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate  confidently  the  width  and 
volume  of  the  river.  Choked  by  the  stubborn  granite  at  this  point,  its  width  is 
probably  between  250  and  300  feet,  its  velocity  fifteen  miles  an  hour,  and  its 
volume  and  turmoil  equal  to  the  Whirlpool  Rapids  of  Niagara.  Its  rise  in  time 
of  heavy  rain  is  rapid  and  appalling,  for  the  walls  shed  almost  instantly  all  the 
water  that  falls  upon  them.  Drift  is  lodged  in  the  crevices  thirty  feet  overhead. 

For  only  a  few  hundred  yards  is  the  tortuous  stream  visible,  but  its  effect 
upon  the  senses  is  perhaps  the  greater  for  that  reason.  Issuing  as  from  a 
mountain  side,  it  slides  with  oily  smoothness  for  a  space  and  suddenly  breaks 
into  violent  waves  that  comb  back  against  the  current  and  shoot  unexpectedly 
here  and  there,  while  the  volume  sways  tide-like  from  side  to  side,  and  long 
curling  breakers  form  and  hold  their  outline  lengthwise  of  the  shore,  despite 
the  seemingly  irresistible  velocity  of  the  water.  The  river  is  laden  with  drift 
(huge  tree  trunks),  which  it  tosses  like  chips  in  its  terrible  play. 

Standing  upon  that  shore  one  can  barely  credit  Powell's  achievement,  in 
spite  of  its  absolute  authenticity.  Never  was  a  more  magnificent  self-reliance 
displayed  than  by  the  man  who  not  only  undertook  the  passage  of  Colorado 
River  but  won  his  way.  And  after  viewing  a  fraction  Of  the  scene  at  close 
range,  one  can  not  hold  it  to  the  discredit  of  three  of  his  companions  that  they 
abandoned  the  undertaking  not  far  below  this  point.  The  fact  that  those  who 
persisted  got  through  alive  is  hardly  more  astonishing  than  that  any  should 
have  had  the  hardihood  to  persist.  For  it  could  not  have  been  alone  the  priva- 
tion, the  infinite  toil,  the  unending  suspense  in  constant  menace  of  death  that 
assaulted  their  courage  ;  these  they  had  looked  for;  it  was  rather  the  unlifted 
gloom  of  those  tartarean  depths,  the  unspeakable  horrors  of  an  endless  valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death,  in  which  every  step  was  irrevocable. 

Returning  to  the  spot  where  the  animals  were  abandoned,  camp  is  made 
for  the  night.  Next  morning  the  way  is  retraced.  Not  the  most  fervid  pictures 
of  a  poet's  fancy  could  transcend  the  glories  then  revealed  in  the  depths  of  the 
canyon;  inky  shadows,  pale  gildings  of  lofty  spires,  golden  splendors  of  sun 
beating  full  on  f agades  of  red  and  yellow,  obscurations  of  distant  peaks  by  veils 
of  transient  shower,  glimpses  of  white  towers  half  drowned  in  purple  haze, 
suffusions  of  rosy  light  blended  •  in  reflection  from  a  hundred  tinted  walls. 
Caught  up  to  exalted  emotional  heights  the  beholder  becomes  unmindful  of 
fatigue.  He  mounts  on  wings.  He  drives  the  chariot  of  the  sun. 


Having  returned  to  the  plateau,  it  will  be  found  that  the  descent  into  the 
canyon  has  bestowed  a  sense  of  intimacy  that  almost  amounts  to  a  mental  grasp 
of  the  scene.  The  terrific  deeps  that  part  the  walls  of  hundreds  of  castles  and 
turrets  of  mountainous  bulk  may  be  approximately  located  in  barely  discernible 
pen-strokes  of  detail,  and  will  be  apprehended  mainly  through  the  memory  of 
upward  looks  from  the  bottom,  while  towers  and  obstructions  and  yawning 
fissures  that  were  deemed  events  of  the  trail  will  be  wholly  indistinguishable, 
although  they  are  known  to  lie  somewhere  flat  beneath  the  eye.  The  compar- 
ative insignificance  of  what  are  termed  grand  sights  in  other  parts  of  the  world 
is  now  clearly  revealed.  Twenty  Yosemites  might  lie  unperceived  anywhere 
below.  Niagara,  that  Mecca  of  marvel  seekers,  would  not  here  possess  the 
dignity  of  a  trout  stream.  Your  companion,  standing  at  a  short  distance  on 
the  verge,  is  an  insect  to  the  eye. 

Still,  such  particulars  can  not  long  hold  the  attention,  for  the  panorama  is 
the  real  overmastering  charm.  It  is  never  twice  the  same.  Although  you 
think  you  have  spelt  out  every  temple  and  peak  and  escarpment,  as  the  angle 
of  sunlight  changes  there  begins  a  ghostly  advance  of  colossal  forms  from  the 
farther  side,  and  what  you  had  taken  to  be  the  ultimate  wall  is  seen  to  be  made 
up  of  still  other  isolated  sculptures,  revealed  now  for  the  first  time  by 
silhouetting  shadows.  The  scene  incessantly  changes,  flushing  and  fading, 
advancing  into  crystalline  clearness,  retiring  into  slumberous  haze. 

Should  it  chance  to  have  rained  heavily  in  the  night,  next  morning  the 
canyon  is  completely  filled  with  fog.  As  the  sun  mounts,  the  curtain  of  mist 
suddenly  breaks  into  cloud  fleeces,  and  while  you  gaze  these  fleeces  rise  and 
dissipate,  leaving  the  canyon  bare.  At  once  around  the  bases  of  the  lowest 
cliffs  white  puffs  begin  to  appear,  creating  a  scene  of  unparalleled  beauty  as 
their  dazzling  cumuli  swell  and  rise  and  their  number  multiplies,  until  once 
more  they  overflow  the  rim,  and  it  is  as  if  you  stood  on  some  land's  end  looking 
down  upon  a  formless  void.  Then  quickly  comes  the  complete  dissipation,  and 
again  the  marshaling  in  the  depths,  the  upward  advance,  the  total  suffusion  and 
the  speedy  vanishing,  repeated  over  and  over  until  the  warm  walls  have 
expelled  their  saturation. 

Long  may  the  visitor  loiter  upon  the  verge,  powerless  to  shake  loose  from 
the  charm,  tirelessly  intent  upon  the  silent  transformations  until  the  sun  is  low 
in  the  west.  Then  the  canyon  sinks  into  mysterious  purple  shadow,  the  far 
Shinumo  Altar  is  tipped  with  a  golden  ray,  and  against  a  leaden  horizon  the 
long  line  of  the  Echo  Cliffs  reflects  a  soft  brilliance  of  indescribable  beauty,  a 
light  that,  elsewhere,  surely  never  was  on  sea  or  land.  Then  darkness  falls, 
and  should  there  be  a  moon,  the  scene  in  part  revives  in  silver  light,  a  thousand 
spectral  forms  projected  from  inscrutable  gloom;  dreams  of  mountains,  as  in 
their  sleep  they  brood  on  things  eternal. 


THE   SCIENTIFIC   EXPLORER 


'BY  J.  W.  VOW  ELL 


The  IVes  and   Wheeler  Expeditions 

In  the  fall  of  1857  Lieutenant  Ives,  of  the  engineer  corps  of  the  army, 
ascended  the  Colorado  River  on  a  trip  of  exploration  with  a  little  steamer 
called  the  Explorer  ;  he  went  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgin.  Falling 
back  down  river  a  few  miles,  Lieutenant  Ives  met  a  pack  train  which  had 
followed  him  up  the  bank  of  the  stream.  Here  he  disembarked,  and  on  the 
24th  of  March  started  with  a  land  party  to  explore  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
river ;  making  a  long  detour  he  ascended  the  plateau  through  which  the  Grand 
Canyon  is  cut,  and  in  an  adventurous  journey  he  obtained  views  of  the  canyon 
along  its  lower  course.  On  this  trip  J.  S.  Newberry  was  the  geologist,  and 
to  him  we  are  indebted  for  the  first  geological  explanation  of  the  canyon  and 
the  description  of  the  high  plateau  through  which  it  is  formed.  Doctor  New- 
berry  was  not  only  an  able  geologist,  but  he  was  also  a  graphic  writer,  and  his 
description  of  the  canyon  as  far  as  it  was  seen  by  him  is  a  classic  in  geology. 

In  1869  Lieutenant  Wheeler  was  sent  out  by  the  chief  engineer  of  the  army 
to  explore  the  Grand  Canyon  from  below.  In  the  spring  he  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  mouth  of  Diamond  Creek,  which  had  previously  been  seen  by  Doctor 
Newberry  in  1858.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  the  geologist  of  this  expedition,  and  his 
studies  of  the  canyon  region  during  this  and  subsequent  years  have  added 
greatly  to  our  knowledge  of  this  land  of  wonders. 

Major  Powell's  Several   Trips 

In  this  same  year  I  essayed  to  explore  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado, 
together  with  the  upper  canyons  of  that  stream  and  the  great  canyons  of  the 
lower  portion  of  Green  River.  For  this  purpose  I  employed  four  rowboats 
and  made  the  descent  from  what  is  now  Green  River  station  through  the 
whole  course  of  canyons  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgin,  a  distance  of  more 
than  a  thousand  miles. 


ii 


From  Kaibab  Plateau,  Looking  South. 
12 


In  the  spring  of  1870  I  again  started  with  three  boats  and  descended 
the  river  to  the  Crossing  of  the  Fathers,  where  I  met  a  pack  train  and  went  out 
with  a  party  of  men  to  explore  ways  down  into  the  Grand  Canyon  from  the 
north,  and  devoted  the  summer,  fall,  winter,  and  following  spring  to  this  under- 
taking. 

In  the  summer  of  1871  I  returned  to  the  rowboats  and  descended  through 
Marble  Canyon  to  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona,  and  then  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  Grand  Canyon  itself.  Subsequent  years  were  then  given  to 
exploration  of  the  country  adjacent  to  the  Grand  Canyon.  On  these  trips  Mr. 
Gilbert,  the  geologist,  who  had  been  with  Lieutenant  Wheeler,  and  Capt.  C.  E. 
Dutton,  were  my  geological  companions.  On  the  second  boat  trip,  and  during 
all  the  subsequent  years  of  exploration  in  this  region,  Prof.  A.  H.  Thompson 
was  my  geographical  companion,  assisted  by  a  number  of  topographical  engi- 
neers. 

In  1882  Mr.  C.  D.  Walcott,  as  my  assistant  in  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey,  went  with  me  into  the  depths  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  We  descended 
from  the  summit  of  the  Kaibab  Plateau  on  the  north  by  a  trail  which  we  built 
down  a  side  canyon  in  a  direction  toward  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado 
River.  The  descent  was  made  in  the  fall,  and  a  small  party  of  men  was 
left  with  Mr.  Walcott  in  this  region  of  stupendous  depths  to  make  a  study  of  the 
geology  of  an  important  region  of  labyrinthian  gorges.  Here,  with  his  party, 
he  was  shut  up  for  the  winter,  for  it  was  known  when  we  left  him  that  snows 
on  the  summit  of  the  plateau  would  prevent  his  return  to  the  upper  region 
before  the  sun  should  melt  them  the  next  spring.  Mr.  Walcott  is  now  the 
Director  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey. 

After  this  year  I  made  no  substantial  additions  to  my  geologic  and  scenic 
knowledge  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  though  I  afterward  studied  the  archaeology  to 
the  south  and  east  throughout  a  wide  region  of  ruined  pueblos  and  cliff 
dwellings. 

Since  my  first  trip  in  boats  many  others  have  essayed  to  follow  me, 
and  year  by  year  such  expeditions  have  met  with  disaster  ;  some  hardy  adven- 
turers are  buried  on  the  banks  of  the  Green,  and  the  graves  of  others  are 
scattered  at  intervals  along  the  course  of  the  Colorado. 

In  1889  the  brave  F.  M.  Brown  lost  his  life.  But  finally  a  party  of  railroad 
engineers,  led  by  R.  B.  Stanton,  started  at  the  head  of  Marble  Canyon  and 
made  their  way  down  the  river  as  they  extended  a  survey  for  a  railroad  along 
its  course. 

Other  adventurous  travelers  have  visited  portions  of  the  Grand  Canyon 
region,  and  Mr.  G.  Wharton  James  has  extended  his  travels  widely  over  the 
region  in  the  interest  of  popular  science  and  the  new  literature  created  in  the 
last  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century.  And  now  I  once  more  return  to  a 
reminiscent  account  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  for  old  men  love  to  talk  of  the 
past. 

The  Plateau  Region 

The  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona  and  the  Marble  Canyon  constitute  one  great 
gorge  carved  by  a  mighty  river  through  a  high  plateau.  On  the  northeast  and 
north  a  line  of  cliffs  face  this  plateau  by  a  bold  escarpment  of  rock.  Climb 
these  cliffs  and  you  must  ascend  from  800  to  1,000  feet,  but  on  their  summit  you 
will  stand  upon  a  plateau  stretching  away  to  the  north.  Now  turn  to  face  the 
south  and  you  will  overlook  the  cliff  and  what  appears  to  be  a  valley  below. 
From  the  foot  of  the  cliff  the  country  rises  to  the  south  to  a  great  plateau  through 
which  the  Marble  and  the  Grand  canyons  are  carved.  This  plateau  terminates 

13 


abruptly  on  the  west  by  the  Grand  Wash  Cliffs,  which  is  a  high  escarpment 
caused  by  a  "  fault "  (as  the  geologist  calls  it),  that  is,  the  strata  of  sandstone 
and  limestone  are  broken  off,  and  to  the  west  of  the  fracture  they  are  dropped 
down  several  thousand  feet,  so  that  standing  upon  the  edge  of  the  plateau 
above  the  Grand  Wash  Cliffs  you  may  look  off  to  the  west  over  a  vast  region  of 
desert  from  which  low  volcanic  mountains  rise  that  seem  like  purple  mounds  in 
sand-clad  lands. 

On  the  east  the  great  plateau  breaks  down  in  a  very  irregular  way  into  the 
valley  of  the  Little  Colorado,  and  where  the  railroad  ascends  the  plateau  from  the 
east  it  passes  over  picturesque  canyons  that  run  down  into  the  Little  Colorado. 
On  the  south  the  plateau  is  merged  into  the  great  system  of  mountains  that 
stand  in  Southern  Arizona.  Where  the  plateau  ends  and  the  mountains  begin  is 
not  a  well-defined  line.  The  plateau  through  which  the  Grand  Canyon  is  cut 
is  a  region  of  great  scenic  interest.  Its  surface  is  from  six  to  more  than  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  Grand  -Plateau  is  composed  of 
many  subsidiary  plateaus,  each  one  having  its  own  peculiar  and  interesting 
feature. 

The  Kaibab  Plateau,  to  the  northeast  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  is  covered  with 
a  pine  forest  which  is  intercepted  by  a  few  meadows  with  here  and  there  a 
pond  or  lakelet.  It  is  the  home  of  deer  and  bear. 

To  the  west  is  the  Shinumo  Plateau  in  which  the  Shinumo  Canyon  is 
carved  ;  and  on  the  cliffs  of  this  canyon  and  in  the  narrow  valley  along  its 
course  the  Shinumo  ruins  are  found  —  the  relics  of  a  prehistoric  race. 

To  the  west  of  the  Shinumo  Plateau  is  the  Kanab  Plateau,  with  ruins  scat- 
tered over  it,  and  on  its  northern  border  the  beautiful  Mormon  town  of  Kanab 
is  found,  and  the  canyon  of  Kanab  Creek  separates  the  Shinumo  Plateau  from 
the  Kanab  Plateau.  It  begins  as  a  shallow  gorge  and  gradually  increases  in 
depth  until  it  reaches  the  Colorado/  River  itself,  at  a  depth  of  more  than 
4,000  feet  below  the  surface.  Vast  amphitheaters  are  found  in  its  walls  and 
titanic  pinnacles  rise  from  its  depths.  One  Christmas  day  I  waded  up  this  creek. 
It  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  walks  of  my  life,  from  a  land  of  flowers  to  a 
land  of  snow. 

To  the  west  of  the  Kanab  Plateau  are  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  —  an 
immense  group  of  volcanic  cones  upon  a  plateau.  Some  of  these  cones  stand 
very  near  the  brink  of  the  Grand  Canyon  and  from  one  of  them  a  flood  of 
basalt  was  poured  into  the  canyon  itself.  Not  long  ago  geologically,  but 
rather  long  when  reckoned  in  years  of  human  history,  this  flood  of  lava  rolled 
down  the  canyon  for  more  than  fifty  miles,  filling  it  to  the  depth  of  two  or  three 
hundred  feet  and  diverting  the  course  of  the  river  against  one  or  the  other 
of  its  banks.  Many  of  the  cones  are  of  red  cinder,  while  sometimes  the  lava  is 
piled  up  into  huge  mountains  which  are  covered  with  forest.  To  the  west 
of  the  Uinkaret  Mountains  spreads  the  great  Shiwits  Plateau,  crowned  by 
Mount  Dellenbough. 

Past  the  south  end  of  these  plateaus  runs  the  Colorado  River  ;  southward 
through  Marble  Canyon  and  in  the  Grand  Canyon,  then  northwestward  past  the 
Kaibab  and  Shinumo  Canyon,  then  south  westward  past  the  Kanab  Plateau, 
Uinkaret  Mountains  to  the  southernmost  point  of  the  Shiwits  Plateau,  and  then 
northwestward  to  the  Grand  Wash  Cliffs.  Its  distance  in  this  course  is  little 
more  than  300  miles  —  but  the  300  miles  of  river  are  set  on  every  side 
with  cliffs,  buttes,  towers,  pinnacles,  amphitheaters,  caves,  and  terraces,  exquis- 
itely storm-carved  and  painted  in  an  endless  variety  of  colors. 

The  plateau  to  the  south  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  which  we  need  not  describe 
in  parts,  is  largely  covered  with  a  gigantic  forest.  There  are  many  volcanic 

14 


Bissell  Point  and  Colorado  River. 


Copyright,  1899,  by  H.  G.  Peabody. 


mountains  and  many  treeless  valleys.  In  the  high  forest  there  are  beautiful 
glades  with  little  stretches  of  meadow  which  are  spread  in  summer  with  a  par- 
terre of  flowers  of  many  colors.  This  upper  region  is  the  garden  of  the  world. 
When  I  was  first  there  bear,  deer,  antelope,  and  wild  turkeys  abounded,  but  now 
they  are  becoming  scarce.  Widely  scattered  throughout  the  plateau  are  small 
canyons,  each  one  a  few  miles  in  length  and  a  few  hundred  feet  in  depth. 
Throughout  their  course  cliff-dweller  ruins  are  found.  In  the  highland  glades 
and  along  the  valley,  pueblo  ruins  are  widely  scattered,  but  the  strangest  sights 
of  all  the  things  due  to  prehistoric  man  are  the  cave  dwellings  that  are  dug  in 
the  tops  of  cinder  cones  and  the  villages  that  were  built  in  the  caves  of  volcanic 
cliffs.  If  now  I  have  succeeded  in  creating  a  picture  of  the  plateau  I  will 
attempt  a  brief  description  of  the  canyon. 

Warble   Canyon 

Above  the  Paria  the  great  river  runs  down  a  canyon  which  it  has  cut 
through  one  plateau.  On  its  way  it  flows  with  comparative  quiet  through  beauti- 
ful scenery,  with  glens  that  are  vast  amphitheaters  which  often  overhang  great 

15 


springs  and  ponds  of  water  deeply  embosomed  in  the  cliffs.  From  the  southern 
escarpment  of  this  plateau  the  great  Colorado  Plateau  rises  by  a  comparatively 
gentle  acclivity,  and  Marble  Canyon  starts  with  walls  but  a  few  score  feet 
in  height  until  they  reach  an  altitude  of  about  5,000  feet.  On  the  way  the 
channel  is  cut  into  beds  of  rock  of  lower  geologic  horizon,  or  greater  geologic  age. 
These  rocks  are  sandstones  and  limestones.  Some  beds  are  very  hard,  others 
are  soft  and  friable.  The  friable  rocks  wash  out  and  the  harder  rocks  remain 
projecting  from  the  walls,  so  that  every  wall  presents  a  set  of  stony  shelves. 
These  shelves  rise  along  the  wall  toward  the  south  as  new  shelves  set  in 
from  below. 

In  addition  to  this  shelving  structure  the  walls  are  terraced  and  the  cliffs 
of  the  canyon  are  set  back  one  upon  the  other.  Then  these  canyon  walls  are 
interrupted  by  side  streams  which  themselves  have  carved  lateral  canyons,  some 
small,  others  large,  but  all  deep.  In  these  side  gorges  the  scenery  is  varied 
and  picturesque  ;  deep  clefts  are  seen  here  and  there  as  you  descend  the  river 

clefts  furnished  with  little  streams  along  which  mosses  and  other  plants 

grow.  At  low  water  the  floor  of  the  great  canyon  is  more  or  less  exposed,  and 
where  it  flows  over  limestone  rocks  beautiful  marbles  are  seen  in  many  colors  ; 
saffron,  pink,  and  blue  prevail.  Sometimes  a  fagade  or  wall  appears  rising  ver- 
tically from  the  water  for  thousands  of  feet.  At  last  the  canyon  abruptly  ends 
in  a  confusion  of  hills  beyond  which  rise  towering  cliffs,  and  the  group  of  hills 
are  nestled  in  the  bottom  of  a  valley-like  region  wrhich  is  surrounded  by  cliffs 
more  than  a  mile  in  altitude. 

The  Grand   Canyon 

From  here  on  for  many  miles  the  whole  character  of  the  canyon  changes. 
First  a  dike  appears  ;  this  is  a  wall  of  black  basalt  crossing  the  river  ;  it  is 
of  lava  thrust  up  from  below  through  a  huge  crevice  broken  in  the  rock  by 
earthquake  agency.  On  the  east  the  Little  Colorado  comes  ;  here  it  is  a  river 
of  salt  water,  and  it  derives  its  salt  a  few  miles  up  the  stream.  The  main  Colo- 
rado flows  along  the  eastern  and  southern  wall.  Climbing  this  for  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  you  may  look  off  toward  the  northwest  and  gaze  at  the  cliffs  of  the 
Kaibab  Plateau. 

This  is  the  point  where  we  built  a  trail  down  a  side  canyon  where  Mr.  Wal- 
cott  was  to  make  his  winter  residence  and  study  of  the  region  ;  it  is  very  com- 
plicated and  exhibits  a  vast  series  of  unconformable  rocks  of  high  antiquity. 
These  lower  rocks  are  of  many  colors  ;  in  large  part  they  are  shales.  The 
region,  which  appears  to  be  composed  of  bright-colored  hills  washed  naked  by 
the  rain,  is,  in  fact,  beset  with  a  multitude  of  winding  canyons  with  their  own 
precipitous  walls.  It  is  a  region  of  many  canyons  in  the  depths  of  the  Grand 
Canyon  itself. 

In  this  beautiful  region  Mr.  Walcott,  reading  the  book  of  geology,  lived  in 
a  summerland  during  all  of  a  long  winter  while  the  cliffs  above  were  covered 
with  snow  which  prevented  his  egress 'to  the  world.  His  companions,  three 
young  Mormons,  longing  for  a  higher  degree,  of  civilization,  gazed  wistfully  at 
the  snow-clad  barriers  by  which  they  were  inclosed.  One  was  a  draughtsman, 
another  a  herder  of  his  stock,  and  the  third  his  cook.  They  afterward  told  me 
that  it  was  a  long  winter  of  homesickness,  and  that  months  dragged  away 
as  years,  but  Mr.  Walcott  himself  had  the  great  book  of  geology  to  read,  and  to 
him  it  was  a  winter  of  delight. 

A  half  dozen  miles  below  the  basaltic  wall  the  river  enters  a  channel 
carved  in  800  or  1,000  feet  of  dark  gneiss  of  very  hard  rock.  Here  the  chan- 
nel is  narrow  and  very  swift  and  beset  with  rapids  and  falls.  On  the  south  and 

16 


southwest  the  wall  rises  abruptly  from  the  water  to  the  summit  of  the  plateau 
for  about  6,000  feet,  but  across  the  river  on  the  north  and  west  mountains 
of  gneiss  and  quartzites  appear,  sometimes  rising  to  the  height  of  a  thousand 
feet.  These  are  mountains  in  the  bottom  of  a  canyon.  The  buttes  and  pla- 
teaus of  the  inter-canyon  region  are  composed  of  shales,  sandstones,  and  lime- 
stones, which  give  rise  to  vast  architectural  shelving  and  to  pinnacles  and 
towers  of  gigantic  proportions,  the  whole  embossed  with  a  marvelously  minute 
system  of  fretwork  carved  by  the  artistic  clouds.  Looking  beyond  these 
mountains,  buttes,  and  plateaus  vistas  of  the  walls  of  the  great  plateau  are  seen. 
From  these  walls  project  salients,  and  deep  re-entrant  angles  appear. 

The  whole  scene  is  forever  reminding  you  of  mighty  architectural  pinnacles 
and  towers  and  balustrades  and  arches  and  columns  with  lattice  work  and 
delicate  carving.  All  of  these  architectural  features  are  sublime  by  titanic  paint- 
ing in  varied  hues — pink,  red,  brown,  lavender,  gray,  blue,  and  black.  In  some 
lights  the  saffron  prevails,  in  other  lights  vermilion,  and  yet  in  other  lights  the 
grays  and  blacks  predominate.  At  times,  and  perhaps  in  rare  seasons,  clouds 
and  cloudlets  form  in  the  canyon  below  and  wander  among  the  side  canyons  and 
float  higher  and  higher  until  they  are  dissolved  in  the  upper  air,  or  perhaps  they 
accumulate  to  hide  great  portions  of  the  landscape.  Then  through  rifts  in  the 
clouds  vistas  of  Wonderland  are  seen.  Such  is  that  portion  of  the  canyon  around 
the  great  south  bend  of  the  Colorado  River  past  the  point  of  the  Kaibab  Plateau. 

Jls  Seen  by  the   Geologist 

In  the  last  chapter  of  my  book  entitled  "  The  Canyons  of  the  Colorado  "  I 
have  described  the  Grand  Canyon  in  the  following  terms  : 

The  Grand  Canyon  is  a  gorge  2 1 7  miles  in  length,  through  which  flows  a 
great  river  with  many  storm-born  tributaries.  It  has  a  winding  way,  as  rivers 
are  wont  to  have.  Its  banks  are  vast  structures  of  adamant,  piled  up  in  forms 
rarely  seen  in  the  mountains. 

Down  by  the  river  the  walls  are  composed  of  black  gneiss,  slates,  and  schists, 
all  greatly  implicated  and  traversed  by  dikes  of  granite.  Let  this  formation  be 
called  the  black  gneiss.  It  is  usually  about  800  feet  in  thickness. 

Then  over  the  black  gneiss  are  found  800  feet  of  quartzites,  usually  in  very 
thin  beds  of  many  colors,  but  exceedingly  hard,  and  ringing  under  the  hammer 
like  phonolite.  These  beds  are  dipping  and  unconformable  with  the  rocks 
above.  While  they  make  but  800  feet  of  the  wall  or  less  they  have  a  geologic 
thickness  of  12,000  feet.  Set  up  a  row  of  books  aslant;  it  is  ten  inches  from  the 
shelf  to  the  top  of  the  line  of  books,  but  there  may  be  three  feet  of  the  books 
measured  directly  through  the  leaves.  So  these  quartzites  are  aslant,  and 
though  of  great  geologic  thickness  they  make  but  800  feet  of  the  wall.  Your 
books  may  have  many-colored  bindings  and  differ  greatly  in  their  contents  ;  so 
these  quartzites  vary  greatly  from  place  to  place  along  the  wall,  and  in  many 
places  they  entirely  disappear.  Let  us  call  this  formation  the  variegated 
quartzite. 

Above  the  quartzites  there  are  500  feet  of  sandstones.  They  are  of  a 
greenish  hue,  but  are  mottled  with  spots  of  brown  and  black  by  iron  stains. 
They  usually  stand  in  a  bold  cliff,  weathered  in  alcoves.  Let  this  formation  be 
called  the  cliff  sandstone. 

Above  the  cliff  sandstone  there  are  700  feet  of  bedded  sandstones  and  lime- 
stones, which  are  massive  sometimes  and  sometimes  broken  into  thin  strata. 
These  rocks  are  often  weathered  in  deep  alcoves.  Let  this  formation  be  called 
the  alcove  sandstone. 

Over  the  alcove  sandstone  there  are  1,600  feet  of  limestone,  in  many  places 

17 


a  beautiful  marble,  as  in  Marble  Canyon.  As  it  appears  along  the  Grand 
Canyon  it  is  always  stained  a  brilliant  red,  for  immediately  over  it  there  are  thin 
seams  of  iron,  and  the  storms  have  painted  these  limestones  with  pigments  from 
above.  Altogether  this  is  the  red-wall  group.  It  is  chiefly  limestone.  Let  it 
be  called  the  red- wall  limestone. 

Above  the  red  wall  there  are  800  feet  of  gray  and  bright  red  sandstone, 
alternating  in  beds  that  look  like  vast  ribbons  of  landscape.  Let  it  be  called 
the  banded  sandstone. 

And  over  all,  at  the  top  of  the  wall,  is  the  Aubrey  limestone,  1,000  feet  in 
thickness.  This  Aubrey  has  much  gypsum  in  it,  great  beds  of  alabaster  that 
.are  pure  white  in  comparison  with  the  great  body  of  limestone  below.  In  the 
same  limestone  there  are  enormous  beds  of  chert,  agates,  and  carnelians.  This 
limestone  is  especially  remarkable  for  its  pinnacles  and  towers.  Let  it  be 
called  the  tower  limestone. 

These  are  the  elements  with  which  the  walls  are  constructed,  from  black 
buttress  below  to  alabaster  tower  above.  All  of  these  elements  weather  in 
different  forms  and  are  painted  in  different  colors,  so  that  the  wall  presents  a 
highly  complex  facade.  A  wall  of  homogeneous  granite,  like  that  in  the 
Yosemite,  is  but  a  naked  wall,  whether  it  be  1,000  or  5,000  feet  high.  Hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  feet  mean  nothing  to  the  eye  when  they  stand  in  a 
meaningless  front.  A  mountain  covered  by  pure  snow  10,000  feet  high  has 
but  little  more  effect  on  the  imagination  than  a  mountain  of  snow  1,000  feet 
high  —  it  is  but  more  of  the  same  thing  —  but  a  facade  of  seven  systems  of 
rock  has  its  sublimity  multiplied  sevenfold. 


• 


A  Panoramic  View  of  the  Canyon. 
18 


Consider  next  the  horizontal  elements  of  the  Grand  Canyon.  The  river 
meanders  in  great  curves,  which  are  themselves  broken  into  curves  of  smaller 
magnitude.  The  streams  that  head  far  back  in  the  plateau  on  either  side 
come  down  in  gorges  and  break  the  wall  into  sections.  Each  lateral  canyon 
has  a  secondary  system  of  laterals,  and  the  secondary  canyons  are  broken  by 
tertiary  canyons ;  so  the  crags  are  forever  branching,  like  the  limbs  of  an  oak. 
That  which  has  been  described  as  a  wall  is  such  only  in  its  grand  effect.  In 
detail  it  is  a  series  of  structures  separated  by  a  ramification  of  canyons,  each 
having  its  own  walls.  Thus,  in  passing  down  the  canyon  it  seems  to  be 
inclosed  by  walls,  but  oftener  by  salients  —  towering  structures  that  stand 
between  canyons  that  run  back  into  the  plateau.  Sometimes  gorges  of  the 
second  or  third  order  have  met  before  reaching  the  brink  of  the  Grand  Canyon, 
and  then  great  salients  are  cut  off  from  the  wall  and  stand  out  as  buttes  — 
huge  pavilions  in  the  architecture  of  the  canyon.  The  scenic  elements  thus 
described  are  fused  and  combined  in  very  different  ways. 

Its  Length 

We  measured  the  length  of  the  Grand  Canyon  by  the  length  of  the  river 
running  through  it,  but  the  running  extent  of  wall  can  not  be  measured  in  this 
manner.  In  the  black  gneiss,  which  is  at  the  bottom,  the  wall  may  stand  above 
the  river  for  a  few  hundred  yards  or  a  mile  or  two  ;  then  to  follow  the  foot  of 
the  wall  you  must  pass  into  a  lateral  canyon  for  a  long  distance,  perhaps  miles, 
and  then  back  again  on  the  other  side  of  the  lateral  canyon ;  then  along  by 
the  river  until  another  lateral  canyon  is  reached,  which  must  be  headed  in  the 
black  gneiss.  So  for  a  dozen  miles  of  river  through  the  gneiss  there  may  be  a 
hundred  miles  of  wall  on  either  side.  Climbing  to  the  summit  of  the  black 
gneiss  and  following  the  wall  in  the  variegated  quartzite,  it  is  found  to  be 
stretched  out  to  a  still  greater  length,  for  it  is  cut  with  more  lateral  gorges. 
In  like  manner  there  is  yet  greater  length  of  the  mottled  (or  alcove)  sandstone 
wall,  and  the  red  wall  is  still  farther  stretched  out  in  ever-branching  gorges. 

To  make  the  distance  for  ten  miles  along  the  river  by  walking  along  the 
top  of  the  red  wall  it  would  be  necessary  to  travel  several  hundred  miles.  The 
length  of  the  wall  reaches  its  maximum  in  the  banded  sandstone,  which  is  ter- 
raced more  than  any  of  the  other  formations.  The  tower  limestone  wall  is 
less  tortuous.  To  start  at  the  head  of  the  Grand  Canyon  on  one  of  the  terraces 
of  the  banded  sandstone  and  follow  it  to  the  foot  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  which 
by  river  is  a  distance  of  217  miles,  it  would  be  necessary  to  travel  many  thou- 
sand miles  by  the  winding  way ;  that  is,  the  banded  wall  is  many  thousand 
miles  in  length. 

Jls  Seen   Traveling  DoWn   Stream 

For  eight  or  ten  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colorado,  the  river  is 
in  the  variegated  quartzites,  and  a  wonderful  fretwork  of  forms  and  colors, 
peculiar  to  this  rock,  stretches  back  for  miles  to  a  labyrinth  of  the  red-wall 
cliff;  then  below,  the  black  gneiss  is  entered  and  soon  has  reached  an  altitude 
of  800  feet  and  sometimes  more  than  1,000  feet,  and  upon  this  black  gneiss  all 
the  other  structures  in  their  wonderful  colors  are  lifted.  These  continue  for 
about  seventy  miles,  when  the  black  gneiss  below  is  lost,  for  the  walls  are 
dropped  down  by  the  West  Kaibab  Fault  and  the  river  flows  in  the  quartzites. 

Then  for  eighty  miles  the  mottled  (or  alcove)  sandstones  are  found  in  the 
river  bed.  The  course  of  the  canyon  is  a  little  south  of  west  and  is  compara- 
tively straight.  At  the  top  of  the  red- wall  limestone  there  is  a  broad  terrace, 

19 


two  or  three  miles  in  width,  composed  of  hills  of  wonderful  forms  carved  in  the 
banded  beds,  and  back  of  this  is  seen  a  cliff  in  the  tower  limestone.  Along  the 
lower  course  of  this  stretch  the  whole  character  of  the  canyon  is  changed  by 
another  set  of  complicating  conditions.  We  have  now  reached  a  region  of 
volcanic  activity.  After  the  canyons  were  cut  nearly  to  their  present  depth, 
lavas  poured  out  and  volcanoes  were  built  on  the  walls  of  the  canyon,  but  not 
in  the  canyon  itself,  though  at  places  rivers  of  molten  rock  rolled  down  the 
walls  into  the  Colorado. 

The  canyon  for  the  next  eighty  miles  is  a  compound  of  that  found  where 
the  river  is  in  the  black  gneiss  and  that  found  where  the  dead  volcanoes  stand 
on  the  brink  of  the  wall.  In  the  first  stretch,  where  the  gneiss  is  at  the  founda- 
tion, we  have  a  great  bend  to  the  south,  and  in  the  last  stretch,  where  the  gneiss 
is  below  and  the  dead  volcanoes  above,  another  great  southern  detour  is  found. 
These  two  great  beds  are  separated  by  eighty  miles  of  comparatively  straight 
river. 

Let  us  call  this  first  great  bend  the  Kaibab  reach  of  the  canyon,  and  the 
straight  part  the  Kanab  reach,  for  the  Kanab  Creek  heads  far  off  in  the  plateau 
to  the  north  and  joins  the  Colorado  a.t  the  beginning  of  the  middle  stretch. 
The  third  great  southern  bend  is  the' Shi  wits  stretch.  Thus  there  are  three 
distinct  portions  of  the  Grand  Canyon  :  The  Kaibab  section,  characterized 
more  by  its  buttes  and  salients ;  the  Kanab  section,  characterized  by  its 
comparatively  straight  walls  with  volcanoes  on  the  brink,  and  the  Shiwits 
section,  which  is  broken  into  great  terraces  with  gneiss  at  the  bottom  and 
volcanoes  at  the  top. 

The   Wori^  of  Erosion 

The  erosion  represented  in  the  canyons,  although  vast,  is  but  a  small  part 
of  the  great  erosion  of  the  region,  f\pr  between  the  cliffs  blocks  have  been 
carried  away  far  superior  in  magnitude  to  those  necessary  to  fill  the  canyons. 
Probably  there  is  no  portion  of  the  whole  region  from  which  there  have  not 
been  more  than  a  thousand  feet  degraded,  and  there  are  districts  from  which 
more  than  30,000  feet  of  rock  have  been  carried  away;  altogether  there  is  a 
district  of  country  more  than  200,000  square  miles  in  extent,  from  which,  on  the 
average,  more  than  6,000  feet  have  been  eroded.  Consider  a  rock  200,000  square 
miles  in  extent  and  a  mile  in  thickness,  against  which  the  clouds  have  hurled 
their  storms,  and  beat  it  into  sands,  and  the  rills  have  carried  the  sands  into  the' 
creeks,  and  the  creeks  have  carried  them  into  the  rivers,  and  the  Colorado  has 
carried  them  into  the  sea. 

We  think  of  the  mountains  as  forming  clouds  about  their  brows,  but  the 
clouds  have  formed  the  mountains.  Great  continental  blocks  are  upheaved 
from  beneath  the  sea  by  internal  geologic  forces  that  fashion  the  earth.  Then 
the  wandering  clouds,  the  tempest-bearing  clouds,  the  rainbow-decked  clouds, 
with  mighty  power  and  with  wonderful  skill,  carve  out  valleys  and  canyons 
and  fashion  hills  and  cliffs  and  mountains.  The  clouds  are. the  artists  sublime. 

Winter  and  Cloud  Effects 

In  winter  some  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Grand  Canyon  are  emphasized. 
The  black  gneiss  below,  the  variegated  quartzite,  and  the  green  or  alcove 
sandstone  form  the  foundation  for  the  mighty  red  wall.  The  banded  sandstone 
entablature  is  crowned  by  the  tower  limestone.  In  winter  this  is  covered  with 
snow.  Seen  from  below,  these  changing  elements  seem  to  graduate  into  the 
heavens,  and  no  plane  of  demarcation  between  wall  and  blue  firmament  can  be 
seen.  The  heavens  constitute  a  portion  of  the  facade  and  mount  into  a  vast 


dome  from  wall  to  wall,  spanning  the  Grand  Canyon  with  empyrean  blue.  So 
the  earth  and  the  heavens  are  blended  in  one  vast  structure. 

When  the  clouds  play  in  the  canyon,  as  they  often  do  in  the  rainy  season, 
another  set  of  effects  is  produced.  Clouds  creep  out  of  canyons  and  wind  into 
other  canyons.  The  heavens  seem  to  be  alive,  not  moving  as  move  the  heavens 
over  a  plain,  in  one  direction  with  the  wind,  but  following  the  multiplied 
courses  of  these  gorges.  In  this  manner  the  little  clouds  seem  to  be  individu- 
alized, to  have  wills  and  souls  of  their  own  and  to  be  going  on  diverse  errands  — 
a  vast  assemblage  of  self-willed  clouds  faring  here  and  there,  intent  upon 
purposes  hidden  in  their  own  breasts.  In  imagination  the  clouds  belong  to  the 
sky,  and  when  they  are  in  the  canyon  the  skies  come  down  into  the  gorges  and 
cling  to  the  cliffs  and  lift  them  up  to  immeasurable  heights,  for  the  sky  must 
still  be  far  away.  Thus  they  lend  infinity  to  the  walls. 

You  can  not  see  the  Grand  Canyon  in  one  view  as  if  it  were  a  changeless 
spectacle  from  which  a  curtain  might  be  lifted,  but  to  see  it  you  have  to  toil 
from  month  to  month  through  its  labyrinths.  It  is  a  region  more  difficult  to 
traverse  than  the  Alps  or  the  Himalayas,  but  if  strength  and  courage  are  sufficient 
for  the  task,  by  a  year's  toil  a  concept  of  sublimity  can  be  obtained  never  again 
to  be  equaled  on  the  hither  side  of  paradise. 


On  Grand  View  Point. 
22 


Copyright,  1899,  by  H.  G.  Peabody. 


THE  GREA  TEST  THING  IN  THE  WORLD 


'BY  CHARLES  F.  LUMMIS 


"The  greatest  thing  in  the  world."  That  is  a  large  phrase  and  an  over- 
worked one,  and  hardened  travelers  do  not  take  it  lightly  upon  the  tongue. 
Noticeably  it  is  most  glibly  in  use  with  those  but  lately,  and  for  the  first  time, 
wandered  beyond  their  native  state  or  county,  and  as  every  province  has  its 
own  local  brag  of  biggest  things,  the  too  credulous  tourist  will  find  a  superla- 
tive everywhere.  And  superlatives  are  unsafe  without  wide  horizons  of  com- 
parison. 

Yet  in  every  sort  there  is,  of  course,  somewhere  "the  biggest  thing  in  the 
world  "  of  its  kind.  It  is  a  good  word,  when  spoken  in  season  and  not  abused 
in  careless  ignorance. 

I  believe  there  is  and  can  be  no  dispute  that  the  term  applies  literally  to 
several  things  in  the  immediate  region  of  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona.  As  I 
have  more  than  once  written  (and  it  never  yet  has  been  controverted),  probably 
no  other  equal  area  on  earth  contains  so  many  supreme  marvels  of  so  many 
kinds  —  so  many  astounding  sights,  so  many  masterpieces  of  Nature's  handi- 
work, so  vast  and  conclusive  an  encyclopedia  of  the  world-building  processes, 
so  impressive  monuments  of  prehistoric  man,  so  many  triumphs  of  man  still 
in  the  tribal  relation  —  as  what  I  have  called  the  Southwestern  Wonderland. 
This  includes  a  large  part  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  the  area  which  geo- 
graphically and  ethnographically  we  may  count  as  the  Grand  Canyon  region. 
Let  me  mention  a  few  wonders  : 

The  largest  and  by  far  the  most  beautiful  of  all  petrified  forests,  with 
several  hundred  square  miles  whose  surface  is  carpeted  with  agate  chips  and 
dotted  with  agate  trunks  two  to  four  feet  in  diameter;  and  just  across  one 
valley  a  buried  "forest  "  whose  huge  silicified  —  not  agatized  —  logs  show  their 
ends  under  fifty  feet  of  sandstone. 

The  largest  natural  bridge  in  the  world —  200  feet  high,  over  500  feet  span, 
and  over  600  feet  wide,  up  and  down  stream,  and  with  an  orchard  011  its  top 
and  miles  of  stalactite  caves  under  its  abutments. 

The  largest  variety  and  display  of  geologically  recent  volcanic  action  in 
North  America ;  with  6o-mile  lava  flows,  i,5oo-foot  blankets  of  creamy  tufa 

23 


cut  by  scores  of  canyons  ;  hundreds  of  craters  and  thousands  of  square  miles 
of  lava  beds,  basalt,  and  cinders,  and  so  much  "volcanic  glass"  (obsidian)  that 
it  was  the  chief  tool  of  the  prehistoric  population. 

The  largest  and  the  most  impressive  villages  of  cave-dwellings  in  the 
world,  most  of  them  already  abandoned  ''when  the  world-seeking  Genoese" 
sailed. 

The  peerless  and  many-storied  cliff -dwellings  —  castles  and  forts  and  homes 
in  the  face  of  wild  precipices  or  upon  their  tops  —  an  aboriginal  architecture 
as  remarkable  as  any  in  any  land. 

The  twenty-six  strange  communal  town  republics  of  the  descendants  of 
the  "cliff-dwellers,"  the  modern  Pueblos;  some  in  fertile  valleys,  some  (like 
Acoma  and  Moki)  perched  on  barren  and  dizzy  cliff  tops.  The  strange  dances, 
rites,  dress,  and  customs  of  this  ancient  people  who  had  solved  the  problem  of 
irrigation,  6-story  house  building,  and  clean  self-government,  and  even  women's 
rights  —  long  before  Columbus  was  born. 

The  noblest  Caucasian  ruins  in  America,  north  of  Mexico  —  the  great 
stone  and  adobe  churches  reared  by  Franciscan  missionaries,  near  three  cen- 
turies ago,  a  thousand  miles  from  the  ocean,  in  the  heart  of  the  Southwest. 

Some  of  the  most  notable  tribes  of  savage  nomads — like  the  Navajos,  whose 
blankets  and  silver  work  are  pre-eminent,  and  the  Apaches,  who,  man  for  man, 
have  been  probably  the  most  successful  warriors  in  history. 

All  these,  and  a  great  deal  more,  make  the  Southwest  a  wonderland  without 
a  parallel.  There  are  ruins  as  striking  as  the  storied  ones  along  the  Rhine,  and 
far  more  remarkable.  There  are  peoples  as  picturesque  as  any  in  the  Orient,  and 
as  romantic  as  the  Aztecs  and  the  Incas  of  whom  we  have  learned  such  gilded 
fables,  and  there  are  natural  wonders  which  have  no  peers  whatever. 

Of  the  Canyon,  and  Other  Wonders 

At  the  head  of  the  list  stands  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado  ;  whether 
it  is  the  "greatest  wonder  of  the  world"  depends  a  little  on  our  definition  of 
"  wonder."  Possibly  it  is  no  more  wonderful  than  the  fact  that  so  tiny  a  fraction 
of  the  people  who  confess  themselves  the  smartest  in  the  world  have  ever  seen 
it.  As  a  people  we  dodder  abroad  to  see  scenery  incomparably  inferior. 

But  beyond  peradventure  it  is  the  greatest  chasm  in  the  world,  and  the 
most  superb.  Enough  globe-trotters  have  seen  it  to  establish  that  fact.  Many 
have  come  cynically  prepared  to  be  disappointed  ;  to  find  it  overdrawn  and 
really  not  so  stupendous  as  something  else.  It  is,  after  all,  a  hard  test  that  so 
be-bragged  a  wonder  must  endure  under  the  critical  scrutiny  of  them  that  have 
seen  the  earth  and  the  fullness  thereof.  But  I  never  knew  the  most  self-satisfied 
veteran  traveler  to  be  disappointed  in  the  Grand  Canyon,  or  to  patronize  it.  On 
the  contrary,  this  is  the  very  class  of  men  who  can  best  comprehend  it,  and  I 
have  seen  them  fairly  break  down  in  its  awful  presence. 

I  do  not  know  the  Himalayas  except  by  photograph  and  the  testimony  of 
men  who  have  explored  and  climbed  them,  and  who  found  the  Grand  Canyon 
an  absolutely  new  experience.  But  I  know  the  American  continents  pretty  well, 
and  have  tramped  their  mountains,  including  the  Andes — the  next  highest 
mountains  in  the  world,  after  half  a  dozen  of  the  Himalayas — and  of  all  the 
famous  quebradas  of  the  Andes  there  is  not  one  that  would  count  5  per  cent  on 
the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado.  For  all  their  25,ooo-foot  peaks,  their  blue- 
white  glaciers,  imminent  above  the  bald  plateau,  and  green  little  bolsones 
{"  pocket  valleys  ")  of  Chile,  Peru,  Bolivia,  and  Ecuador;  for  all  their  tremendous 
active  volcanoes,  like  Saugay  and  Cotopaxi;  for  all  an  earthquake  activity 

24 


beside  which  the  "  shake  "  at  Charleston  was  mere  paper-doll  play  ;  for  all  the 
steepest  gradients  in  the  world  (and  Peru  is  the  only  place  in  the  world  where 
a  river  falls  17,000  feet  in  100  miles) — in  all  that  marvelous  3,ooo-mile  procession 
of  giantism  there  is  not  one  canyon  which  any  sane  person  would  for  an  instant 
compare  with  that  titanic  gash  that  the  Colorado  has  chiseled  through  a  compar- 
atively flat  upland.  Nor  is  there  anything  remotely  approaching  it  in  all  the 
New  World.  So  much  I  can  say  at  first  hand.  As  for  the  Old  World,  the 
explorer  who  shall  find  a  gorge  there  one-half  as  great  will  win  undying  fame. 

The  quebrada  of  the  Apu-Rimac  is  a  marvel  of  the  Andes,  with  its  vertigi- 
nous depths  and  its  suspension  bridge  of  wild  vines.  The  Grand  Canyon  of  the 
Arkansas,  in  Colorado,  is  a  noble  little  slit  in  the  mountains.  The  Franconia 
and  White  Mountain  notches  in  New  Hampshire  are  beautiful.  The  Yosemite 
and  the  Yellowstone  canyons  surpass  the  world,  each  in  its  way.  But  if  all 
of  these  were  hung  up  on  the  opposite  wall  of  the  Grand  Canyon  from  you  the 
chances  are  fifty  to  one  that  you  could  not  tell  t'other  from  which,  nor  any 
of  them  from  the  hundreds  of  other  canyons  which  rib  that  vast  vertebrate 
gorge.  If  the  falls  of  Niagara  were  installed  in  the  Grand  Canyon  between 
your  visits  and  you  knew  it  by  the  newspapers — next  time  you  stood  on  that 
dizzy  rimrock  you  would  probably  need  good  field-glasses  and  much  patience 
before  you  could  locate  that  cataract  which  in  its  place  looks  pretty  big.  If 
Mount  Washington  were  plucked  up  bodily  by  the  roots — not  from  where  you 
see  it,  but  from  sea-level  —  and  carefully  set  down  in  the  Grand  Canyon,  you 
probably  would  not  notice  it  next  morning,  unless  its  dull  colors  distinguished 
it  in  that  innumerable  congress  of  larger  and  painted  giants. 

All  this,  which  is  literally  true,  is  a  mere  trifle  of  what  might  be  said  in 
trying  to  fix  a  standard  of  comparison  for  the  Grand  Canyon.  But  I  fancy 
there  is  no  standard  adjustable  to  the  human  mind.  You  may  compare  all 
you  will — eloquently  and  from  wide  experience,  and  at  last  all  similes  fail. 
The  Grand  Canyon  is  just  the  Grand  Canyon,  and  that  is  all  you  can  say.  I 
never  have  seen  anyone  who  was  prepared  for  it.  I  never  have  seen  anyone 
who  could  grasp  it  in  a  week's  hard  exploration;  nor  anyone,  except  some  rare 
Philistine,  who  could  even  think  he  had  grasped  it.  I  have  seen  people  rave 
over  it;  better  people  struck  dumb  with  it,  even  strong  men  who  cried  over  it; 
but  I  have  never  yet  seen  the  man  or  woman  that  expected  it. 

It  adds  seriously  to  the  scientific  wonder  and  the  universal  impressiveness 
of  this  unparalleled  chasm  that  it  is  not  in  some  stupendous  mountain  range,  but 
in  a  vast,  arid,  lofty  floor  of  nearly  100,000  square  miles — as  it  were,  a  crack  in 
the  upper  story  of  the  continent.  There  is  no  preparation  for  it.  Unless  you 
had  been  told,  you  would  no  more  dream  that  out  yonder  amid  the  pines  the 
flat  earth  is  slashed  to  its  very  bowels,  than  you  would  expect  to  find  an  iceberg 
in  Broadway.  With  a  very  ordinary  running  jump  from  the  spot  where  you 
get  your  first  glimpse  of  the  canyon  you  could  go  down  2,000  feet  without 
touching.  It  is  sudden  as  a  well. 

But  it  is  no  mere  cleft.  It  is  a  terrific  trough  6,000  to  7,000  feet  deep,  ten 
to  twenty  miles  wide,  hundreds  of  miles  long,  peopled  with  hundreds  of  peaks 
-taller  than  any  mountain  east  of  the  Rockies,  yet  not  one  of  them  with  its 
head  so  high  as  your  feet,  and  all  ablaze  with  such  color  as  no  eastern  or 
European  landscape  ever  knew,  even  in  the  Alpen-glow.  And  as  you  sit  upon 
the  brink  the  divine  scene-shifters  give  you  a  new  canyon  every  hour.  With 
each  degree  of  the  sun's  course  the  great  countersunk  mountains  we  have 
been  watching  fade  away,  and  new  ones,  as  terrific,  are  carved  by  the  wester- 
ing shadows.  It  is  like  a  dissection  of  the  whole  cosmogony.  And  the  purple 
shadows,  the  dazzling  lights,  the  thunderstorms  and  snowstorms,  the  clouds  and 
the  rainbows  that  shift  and  drift  in  that  vast  subterranean  arena  below  your 

25 


feet !  And  amid  those  enchanted  towers  and  castles  which  the  vastness  of  the 
scale  leads  you  to  call  "rocks,"  but  which  are  in  fact  as  big  above  the  river-bed 
as  the  Rockies  from  Denver,  and  bigger  than  Mount  Washington  from  Fabyan's 
or  the  Glen  ! 

The  Grand  Canyon  country  is  not  only  the  hugest,  but  the  most  varied 
and  instructive  example  on  earth  of  one  of  the  chief  factors  of  earth-build- 
ing— erosion.  It  is  the  mesa  country — the  Land  of  Tables.  Nowhere  else  on 
the  footstool  is  there  such  an  example  of  deep-gnawing  water  or  of  water 
high-carving.  The  sandstone  mesas  of  the  Southwest,  the  terracing  of  canyon 
walls,  the  castellation,  battlementing,  and  cliff -making,  the  cutting  down  of  a 
whole  landscape  except  its  precipitous  islands  of  flat-topped  rock,  the  thin  lava 
table-cloths  on  tables  100  feet  high — >these  are  a  few  of  the  things  which  make 
the  Southwest  wonderful  alike  to  the  scientist  and  the  mere  sight-seer. 

That  the  canyon  is  not  "  too  hard  "  is  perhaps  sufficiently  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  I  have  taken  thither  ladies  and  children  and  men  in  their  seventies, 
when  the  easiest  way  to  get  there  was  by  a  yo-mile  stage  ride,  and  that  at 
six  years  old  my  little  girl  walked  all  the  way  from  rim  to  bottom  of  canyon 
and'came  back  on  a  horse  the  same  day,  and  was  next  morning  ready  to  go  on 
a  long  tramp  along  the  rim. 


I 


ft* 


Copyright,  1S99,  by  H.  G.  Peabody. 

The  North  Wall  from  Grand  Scenic  Divide. 
26 


INFORMATION  FOR   TOURISTS 


Preliminary 

There  is  only  one  way  by  which  to  directly  reach  the  Grand  Canyon  of 
Arizona,  and  that  is  via  the  Santa  Fe  (The  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
way System). 

There  are  three  ways  of  reaching  the  Canyon  from  the  Santa  Fe  —  rail 
from  Williams,  private  conveyance  from  Flagstaff  and  Peach  Springs. 

The  route  from  Flagstaff  is  not  available  in  winter.  The  Peach  Springs 
route  is  open  in  winter,  but  now  little  used.  The  bulk  of  the  travel  is  via 
Williams,  sixty-five  miles  north  to  Bright  Angel  —  open  all  the  year. 

Three  Gateways 

There  are  but  three  points  from  which  an  easy  descent  may  be  made  of 
the  south  wall  to  the  granite  gorge  of  the  Grand  Canyon  : 

i.  At  Grand  View,  down  Berry's  (Grand  View)  or  Hance's  (Red  Canyon) 
trails. 

At  Bright  Angel,  down  Bright  Angel  Trail. 

3.     At  Bass'  Camp,  down  Mystic  Spring  Trail. 

While  the  canyon  may  be  reached  over  trails  at  other  places  outside  of 
the  district  named  (such  as  Lee's  Ferry  Trail,  by  wagon  from  Winslow  ;  Moki 
Indian  Trail,  by  way  of  Little  Colorado  Canyon  ;  and  Diamond  Creek  road  to 
Colorado  River  from  Peach  Springy  station),  most  tourists  prefer  the  Bright 
Angel,  Grand  View,  and  Bass'  C^rnp  routes,  because  of  the  superior  facilities 
and  views  there  offered.  The  f*each  Springs  route  is  the  only  other  one  now 
used  by  the  public  to  any  extent. 

It  is  near  Grand  View  that  Marble  Canyon  ends  and  the  Grand  Canyon 
proper  begins.  Northward,  a  few  miles 'away,  is  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Colo- 
rado Canyon.  Here  the  granite  gorge  is  first  seen.  ^^ 

Bright  Angel  is  approximately  in  the  center,  and  Bass'  Camp  at  the 
western  end  of  the  granite  gorge.  By  wagon  road  it  is  eighteen  miles  from 
Bright  Angel  east  to  Grand  View,  and  twenty-three  miles  west  to  Bass'  Camp. 

27  "^ 


In  a  nutshell,  the  Grand  Canyon  at  Grand  View  is  accounted  most  sublime 
—  a  scene  of  wide  outlooks  and  brilliant  hues  ;  at  Bright  Angel,  deepest  and 
ost  impressive  —  a  scene  that  awakens  the  prof oundest  emotions  ;  at  Bass' 
Camp,  the  most  varied  —  a  scene  of  striking  contrasts  in  form  and  color. 

Each  locality  has  its  special  charm.  All  three  should  be  visited,  if  time 
permits,  as  only  by  long  observation  can  one  gain  even  a  superficial  knowledge 
of  what  the  Grand  Canyon  is.  To  know  it  intimately  requires  a  longer  stay 
and  more  careful  study. 

The  Ride  from   Williams 

Because  of  recent  improvements  in  service  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona 
may  now  be  visited,  either  in  summer  or  winter,  with  reasonable  comfort  and 
without  any  hardship.  No  one  need  be  deterred  by  fear  of  inclement  weather 
or  a  tedious  stage  ride.  The  trip  is  entirely  feasible  for  the  average  traveler 
every  day  in  the  year. 

Leaving  the  Santa  Fe  transcontinental  train  at  Williams,  Arizona,  passen- 
gers change  in  same  depot  to  a  local  train  of  the  Grand  Canyon  Railway,  which 
leaves  Williams  daily,  and  arrives  at  destination  after  a  three  hours'  run. 

Williams  is  a  busy  town  of  1,500  inhabitants,  378  miles  west  of  Albu- 
querque, on  the  Santa  Fe.  Here  are  located  large  sawmills,  smelters,  numerous 
well-stocked  stores,  and  railroad  division  buildings.  Prior  to  the  disastrous  fire 
in  July,  1901,  there  were  several  excellent  hotels.  The  one  not  destroyed 
affords  good  accommodations,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  other  facilities  are 
provided. 

The  railroad  track  to  the  canyon  is  remarkably  smooth  for  a  new  .line.  It 
is  built  across  a  slightly  rolling  mesa,  in  places  thickly  wooded,  in  others  open. 
The  snow-covered  San  Francisco  Peaks  are  on  the  eastern  horizon.  Kendricks, 
Sitgreaves,  and  Williams  mountains  are  also  visible.  Red  Butte,  thirty  miles 
distant,  is  a  prominent  local  landmark.  Before  the  terminus  is  reached  the  train 
climbs  a  long,  high  ridge  and  enters  Coconino  Forest,  which  resembles  a  natural 
park.  The  route  here  is  amid  fragrant  pines,  over  low  hills  and  along  occasional 
gulches  and  "washes."  Taken  under  the  favorable  conditions  which  generally 
prevail  at  this  high  altitude,  the  journey  is  a  novelty  and  a  delight. 

At  "Destination 

The  hotel  at  head  of  Bright  Angel  Trail  is  reached  late  in  the  evening. 
The  tourist  then  finds  himself  on  the  verge  of  a  high  precipice,  from  which  is 
obtained  by  moonlight  a  magnificent  view  of  the  opposite  wall  and  of  the  inter- 
vening crags,  towers,  and  slopes.  The  suddenness,  the  surprise,  the  revelation 
come  as  a  fitting  climax  to  a  unique  trip.  After  nightfall  the  air  becomes  cold, 
for  here  you  are  7,000  feet  above  the  sea;  yet  the  absence  of  humidity,  peculiar 
to  these  high  altitudes,  makes  the  chill  less  penetrating  than  on  lower  levels.  By 
day,  in  the  sunshine,  there  is  usually  a  genial  warmth — then  overcoats,  gloves, 
and  wraps  are  laid  aside. 

'Bright  Angel  Hotel 

The  Bright  Angel  Hotel  is  managed  by  Mr.  M.  Buggeln,  who  also  controls 
the  stage  line,  trail  stock,  guides,  etc.  The  hotel  comprises  a  combination  log 
and  frame  structure  of  eight  rooms,  with  a  neat  frame  annex  of  six  rooms,  and 
(for  summer  use)  several  rows  of  tents,  all  clustered  on  the  rim  and  surrounded 
by  pines  and  spruces.  Each  room  in  the  annex  has  two  beds,  a  stove,  dressing 

28 


table,  and  Navajo  rugs.  In  the  log-cabin  part  of  the  main  edifice  are  two  large 
rooms.  One  is  used  for  reception  purposes,  being  warmed  by  means  of  an  old- 
fashioned  fireplace  and  tastefully  carpeted  with  Indian  rugs,  also  furnished  with 
capacious  rocking  chairs  and  a  piano;  the  other  of  these  two  rooms  is  for 
emergency  uses.  Another  building  has  been  erected  recently  which  contains 
twenty  sleeping  rooms  and  furnishes  excellent  accommodations  for  tourists. 

Good  meals  are  prepared  by  an  expert  cook,  and  served  in  a  pleasant  dining- 
room.  In  a  word,  the  hotel  facilities  are  good,  far  better  than  one  might 
expect  to  find  for  the  reasonable  rate  charged.  There  is  no  "roughing  it," 
everything  is  homelike  and  comfortable.  One  must  not,  however,  expect 
all  the  city  luxuries.  A  telephone  line  directly  connects  the  hotel  with  the 
outer  world  at  Williams. 

NOTE. —  A  fine  modern  hotel  of  fifty  rooms,  with  cottage  annexes,  will  be  built  in  this 
vicinity  during  the  coming  year  and  managed  by  Mr.  Fred  Harvey.  It  will  provide  all  the 
latest  conveniences. 

While  one  ought  to  remain  at  least  a  week,  a  stop-over  of  three  days  from 
the  transcontinental  trip  wTill  allow  practically  two  days  at  the  canyon.  One 
full  day  should  be  devoted  to  an  excursion  down  Bright  Angel  Trail,  and  the 
other  to  walks  and  drives  along  the  rim.  The  views  from  Rowe's,  O'Neill's, 
and  other  points  are  always  satisfactory.  There  is  a  sufficient  variety  of  out- 
look from  the  plateau  level  to  fully  occupy  the  time.  Another  day  on  the  rim 
—  making  a  four-days'  stop-over  in  all  —  will  enable  visitors  to  get  more  satis- 
factory views  of  this  stupendous  wonder. 

Voton  'Bright  Angel   Trail 

The  trail  here  is  perfectly  safe  and  is  generally  open  the  year  round.  In 
midwinter  it  is  liable  to  be  closed  for  a  few  days  at  the  top  by  snow,  but  such 
blockade  is  only  temporary.  It  reaches  from  the  hotel  four  miles  to  the  top 
of  the  granite  wall  immediately  overlooking  the  Colorado  River.  At  this  point 
the  river  is  1,200  feet  below,  while  the  hotel  on  the  rim  is  4,300  feet  above. 
The  trip  is  commonly  made  on  horseback,  accompanied  by  a  guide  ;  charges 
for  trail  stock  and  services  of  guide  are  moderate.  A  strong  person,  accus- 
tomed to  mountain  climbing,  can  make  the  round  trip  on  foot  in  one  day,  by 
starting  early  enough  ;  but  the  average  traveler  will  soon  discover  that  a  horse 
is  a  necessity,  especially  for  the  upward  climb. 

Eight  hours  are  required  for  going  down  and  coming  back,  allowing  two 
hours  for  lunch,  rest,  and  sight-seeing.  Those  wishing  to  reach  the  river  leave 
the  main  trail  at  Indian  Garden  Spring  and  follow  the  downward  course  of 
Willow  Creek.  Owing  to  the  abrupt  descent  from  this  point,  part  of  the  side 
trail  must  be  traversed  on  foot.  Provision  is  made  for  those  wishing  to  camp 
out  at  night  on  the  river's  edge. 

The  famous  guide,  John  Hance,  is  now  located  at  Bright  Angel. 

What  to  'Bring 

If  much  tramping  is  done,  stout,  thick  shoes  should  be  provided.  Ladies 
will  find  that  short  walking  skirts  are  a  convenience  ;  divided  skirts  are  pref- 
erable, but  not  essential,  for  the  horseback  journey  down  the  zigzag  trail. 
Traveling  caps  and  (in  summer)  broad-brimmed  straw  hats  are  useful  toilet 
adjuncts.  Otherwise  ordinary  clothing  wrill  suffice.  A  good  field  glass  mate- 
rially assists  in  getting  a  satisfactory  view  of  the  farthest  cliffs.  A  camera  of 
ordinary  size  should  be  brought  along,  although  it  can  only  record  little  details 
of  the  canyon  —  one  should  not  expect  to  photograph  the  entire  panorama. 

29 


Bright  Angel  Hotel. 


The  round-trip  ticket  rate,  Williams  to  Grand  Canyon  and  return,  is  only 
$6.50.  Adding-  $6  for  two  days'  stay  at  Canyon  Hotel,  $i  for  part  of  a  day 
at  hotel  in  Williams,  $1.50  for  probable  proportion  of  cost  of  guide,  $3  for  trail 
stock,  and  the  total  necessary  expense  of  the  three  days'  stop-over  is  about  $18 
for  one  person  ;  each  additional  day  only  adds  $3  to  the  cost  for  hotel. 

Stop-overs  will  be  granted  at  Williams  on  railroad  and  Pullman  tickets  if 
advance  application  is  made  to  train  and  Pullman  conductors.  Trunks  may 
be  stored  in  the  station  at  Williams  free  of  charge  by  arrangement  w^ith  ticket 
agent. 

Grand  Vieto 

Grand  View  (previously  mentioned)  may  be  reached  in  summer  by  private 
conveyance  from  Flagstaff,  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  ;  or  at  any  time  of 
the  year  by  stage  from  Bright  Angel,  sixteen  miles  along  the  rim.  The  rate 
for  round  trip,  Bright  Angel  to  Grand  View,  is  $2.50  to  $5  each  person, 
according  to  size  of  party.  While  Flagstaff  is  an  interesting  place  to  visit  — 
with  its  near-by  cliff  and  cave  dwellings  and  San  Francisco  Peaks  —  and  the 
trip  thence  to  the  Grand  Canyon  is  a  novel  one,  distance  and  time  are  such 
that  most  travelers  prefer  to  go  in  by  railroad  from  Williams. 

Grand  View  Hotel  is  a  large,  rustic  structure,  built  near  the  head  of 
Berry's  Trail  and  about  three  miles  from  Hance's  Trail,  in  the  midst  of  tall 
pines  and  overlooking  the  mighty  bend  of  the  Colorado.  This  is  the  point  to 
which  visitors  were  conducted  in  the  days  of  the  old  stage  line  from  Flagstaff. 

It  is  noted  for  its  wide  views  of  the  Coconino  Forest  and  Painted  Desert,  as 
well  as  for  the  beautiful  forms  and  color  of  the  canyon  itself.  A  favorite  trip 
here  is  to  go  down  one  trail  and  up  the  other.  The  hotel  accommodations  are 
quite  good  ;  capacity,  forty  guests;  rate,  $3  per  day. 

30 


'Bass9  Camp 

At  the  western  end  of  the  granite  gorge  is  Mystic  Spring  Trail,  an  easy 
route  down  to  the  Colorado  River  and  up  the  other  side  to  Button's  Point  and 
Powell's  Plateau.  The  magnificent  panorama  eastward  from  Havasupai  Point 
takes  in  fifty  miles  of  the  canyon,  while  westward  is  the  unique,  table-like 
formation  which  characterizes  the  lower  reaches  of  the  river. 

Present  accommodations  at  Bass'  Camp,  near  head  of  this  trail,  are  rather 
meager,  consisting  of  a  small  cabin  and  a  few  tents;  meals  are  served  in 
camping-out  style.  The  views  here,  from  both  rims,  are  pronounced  by  noted 
artists  and  explorers  to  be  unequaled. 

Bass'  Camp  is  now  reached  by  team  from  Bright  Angel,  twenty-six  miles. 
Advance  arrangements  must  be  made  for  transportation. 

The  facilities  at  Bass'  Camp  will  be  greatly  improved  during  1902  and 
daily  stage  put  on  from  Coconino  Station,  on  Grand  Canyon  Railway. 

Peach  Springs  J^oute 

The  trip  in  winter  from  Peach  Springs  station  down  to  the  Colorado  River, 
through  Diamond  Creek  Canyon,  is  most  enjoyable.  Owing  to  the.  low  altitude 
here  (4,780  feet  at  Peach  Springs  and  approximately  2,000  feet  at  the  river) 
the  air  is  usually  balmy  from  November  to  April;  in  summer  the  heat  is  a 
considerable  drawback. 

A  journey  of  but  twelve  miles  leads  you  through  a  miniature  Grand 
Canyon  with  *  scenery  increasingly  sublime.  On  either  side  are  abrupt  walls 
and  wonderfully  suggestive  formations — castles,  domes,  minarets.  On  your 
left,  glancing  backward,  is  an  exact  reproduction  of  Westminster  Abbey. 

This  comparatively  easy  jaunt  brings  you  by  team  to  the  very  brink  of 
the  swift-rolling  Colorado,  whereas  by  the  other  Grand  Canyon  gateways  you 
are  landed  on  the  rim  and  must  go  down  thousands  of  feet  by  a  steep  trail. 
The  outlook  here  is  restricted  to  the  river  itself  and  the  great  walls  rising  pre- 
cipitously from  its  banks — a  scene  well  worth  while,  but  not  so  impressive  as 
the  wide  sweep  of  the  canyon  visible  from  the  rim. 

Following  Diamond  Creek  to  its  source  you  may  walk  along  the  bed  of  the 
stream  between  walls  thousands  of  feet  high  and  glistening  in  the  white  sun- 
light as  if  varnished.  The  upper  part  of  Diamond  Creek  is  a  veritable  terrace 
of  fern  bowers,  luxuriant  vegetation,  crystal  cascades,  and  sequestered  meadow 
parks. 

Flagstaff  and    Vicinity 

The  town  itself  is  an  interesting  place,  prettily  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
San  Francisco  uplift  and  surrounded  by  a  pine  forest. 

Its  hotels,  business  houses,  lumber  mills,  and  residences  denote  thrift.  On 
a  neighboring  hill  is  the  Lowell  Observatory,  noted  for  its  many  contributions 
to  astronomical  science. 

Eight  miles  southwest  from  Flagstaff — reached  by  a  pleasant  drive  along 
a  level  road  through  tall  pines — is  Walnut  Canyon,  a  rent  in  the  earth  several 
hundred  feet  deep  and  three  miles  long,  with  steep  terraced  walls  of  limestone. 
Along  the  shelving  terraces,  under  beetling  projections  of  the  strata,  are  scores 
of  quaint  cliff  dwellings,  the  most  famous  group  of  its  kind  in  this  region. 
The  larger  abodes  are  divided  into  several  compartments  by  cemented  walls, 
many  parts  of  which  are  still  intact.  It  is  believed  that  these  cliff  dwellers 

31 


San  Francisco  Peaks. 

were  of  the  same  stock  as  the  Pueblo  Indians  of  to-day  and  that  they  lived  here 
about  800  years  ago. 

Nine  miles  from  Flagstaff  and  only  half  a  mile  from  the  old  stage  road  to 
the  Grand  Canyon,  upon  the  summit  of  an  extinct  crater,  the  remarkable 
ruins  of  the  cave-dwellers  may  be  seen. 

The  magnificent  San  Francisco  Peaks,  visible  from  every  part  of  the 
country  within  a  radius  of  a  hundred  miles,  lie  just  north  of  Flagstaff.  There 
are  three  peaks  which  form  one  mountain.  From  Flagstaff  a  road  has  been 
constructed  up  Humphrey's  Peak,  whose  summit  is  12,750  feet  above  sea  level. 
It  is  a  good  mountain  road,  and  the  entire  distance  from  Flagstaff  is  only  about 
ten  miles.  The  trip  to  the  summit  and  back  is  easily  made  in  one  day. 

The  summit  of  Humphrey's  Peak  affords  a  noble  view,  the  panorama 
including  the  north  wall  of  the  Grand  Canyon,  the  Painted  Desert,  the  Moki 
villages,  the  Superstition  Mountains  near  Phoenix,  many  lakes,  and  far  glimpses 
over  a  wide  circle. 

Announcement. 

The  Santa  Fe  has  just  published  a  new  and  beautiful  book  on  the  Grand 
Canyon.  It  contains  articles  by  Hamlin  Garland,  Harriet  Monroe,  Robert 
Brewster  Stan  ton,  Chas.  S.  Gleed,  John  L.  Stoddard,  Charles  Dudley  Warner, 
R.  D.  Salisbury,  "  Fitz  Mac,"  Nat  M.  Brigham,  Joaquin  Miller,  Edwin  Burritt 
Smith,  David  Starr  Jordan,  C.  E.  Beecher,  Henry  P.  Ewing,  and  Thomas 
Moran,  as  well  as  the  authors  represented  in  this  pamphlet.  The  book  has 
more  than  a  hundred  pages,  illustrated  with  half-tones  and  portraits;  the 
cover  is  from  a  painting  of  the  Canyon  by  Thomas  Moran,  and  is  lithographed 
in  seven  colors. 

It  will  be  forwarded  on  receipt  of  twenty-five  cents. 

Address  W.  J.  BLACK, 

Gen'l  Passenger  Agent,  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  Ry.,  CHICAGO. 
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